Advanced technology computer and communication systems have transformed many important aspects of human and computer interactions. For example, voice answering machines provide a convenient manner for a person to electronically capture a message and forward it to another. With technology advancements such as wireless and Internet systems, electronic messaging systems have become much more sophisticated. Such systems can include e-mail, voice mail, pager and cell phone technologies, for example, wherein information can be readily sent and retrieved in a concurrent manner.
Typically, voice messaging systems are frequently controlled by calling the voice messaging system, entering a password, and then selecting from various options. For example, password entry and option selection is normally achieved using Dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tones generated in response to pressing keys on a telephone keypad. Support for DTMF control allows messages to be retrieved or deleted from a remote location via a telephone call to the voice messaging system.
Moreover, voice message systems often provide users an opportunity to record a message, which will be played to a calling party when the messaging system responds to a call. Recording of prompt messages can normally be performed locally at the answering system or remotely via a telephone call placed to the answering system. The prompt message which is presented to a calling party by a voice messaging system is often used to notify a calling party about when and how long the called party will be away from the called location and/or when the called party will be checking for recorded messages.
For such information to be useful, the prompt message must be updated to reflect changes in a user's schedule, planed absences from the office and/or other information. In many systems, to change a prompt message, a user of the system must record a new message. The process of recording messages, combined with the time associated with accessing a voice mail system to update a prompt message, discourages many users from updating and/or changing their prompt messages on a timely basis.
In addition, users of voice message systems can forget to update their prompt messages to reflect planned trips, the fact that they returned from a trip, or other circumstances that render an existing prompt message inappropriate or out of date. Occasionally, failure to keep a prompt message current is the result of an unintentional oversight. In other cases, the answering machine user finds it too inconvenient to contact one or more answering systems and update the prompt messages stored therein in a timely manner.
Moreover, computer based telephony applications are increasingly being developed in the Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) that provide the ability to make telephone calls, connect to a voicemail system and leave voice messages. In general, such applications are not user friendly, and do not utilize full potential of signaling/sending rich messages in various different forms to the voicemail server.